In an interview made for the French DVD release in 2014, director Jerry Schatzberg explains that Anne François, the films producer, suggested that he should read Fred Uhlman's novel for a possible collaboration. He really liked the book and its "story of friendship in the beginning of the Nazi period". Schatzberg decided to hire a mostly British cast and a British screen writer to make the movie "feel more European". He came up with two names for a writer but they weren't available. A friend of the producer personally sent the book to Harold Pinter, who soon replied that he "loves the story". Schatzberg was reluctant to use Pinter at first, he couldn't envision Pinter's name on the script, and he was slightly intimidated by him. But after the two had a long conversation, Schatzberg was convinced that Pinter was the only person for the job.
